If you like to plan your races in advance, sign up now! Plus there is a special combo discount if you sign up for both events (10k race and 100k challenge) at the same time.
Raven Rocks 10k Run will be held Sunday, November 12, 2023. The Raven 100k Challenge is set for Nov 1-30, 2023. Both events are open for registration now!
RegisterThanks for supporting the race — and the Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation!
Dear Raven 100k Challenge Participants,
Thank you for signing up and participating in the third annual Raven 100k Challenge this past November 2022.
Your distance, along with the badges you earned, is engraved in your custom woodallion which just entered production December 7 and will be mailed out to you after they are completed. If you want to see the badge descriptions, click here.
The second annual event was a success with 73 runners, hikers, and walkers ranging in age from 14 through 72 completing the challenge. Click here for links to photos contributed by participants during the month.
Through this event — combined with the Raven Rocks 10k Run on November 13 — we raised $9,700 to date for the Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.
The Friends group supports the mission of education, conservation, and environmental action through the Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge programs. If you haven’t yet joined as a member for 2023 you can still do it at https://runsignup.com/ravenrocks/donate through December 31, 2022. Membership makes a great gift too!
We are already looking forward to November 2023 for the 4th Raven 100k Challenge – and the 8th Annual Raven Rocks 10k Trail Run. Mark your calendars for November 12, 2023!
Thanks again for your support. If you have any questions or need to get in touch, our email address in ravenrocksrun@gmail.com.
Rob Cummings
Race Director, Raven 100k Challenge and Raven Rocks Run Trail Race
PS: Be sure to check the 2022 Raven 100k Challenge highlights below.
Some highlights from the 2022 Raven 100k Challenge include:
Longest distance covered and reported in November 2022
| Paul Woolley – 1st overall male – 520.3k | Joanie Dooley – 1st overall female – 409.9k |
| Jacob Benesch – 2nd overall male – 422.6k | Andrea Mindell – 2nd overall female – 305.2k |
| Anthony Marino – 3rd overall male – 379.2k | Mea Sgaglio – 3rd overall female – 301.1k |
| Eric Foxhall – 4th overall male – 311.8k | Mary Rubini – 4th overall female – 294.5k |
| Jamie Howard – 5th overall male – 303.4k | Kathy Lynch – 5th overall female – 283.4k |
First to 100k Milestone in November 2022
| Paul Woolley – 1st male to 100k | Mea Sgaglio – 1st female to 100k |
| Anthony Marino – 2nd male to 100k | Joanie Dooley – 2nd female to 100k |
| Eric Foxhall – 3rd male to 100k | Andrea Mindell – 3rd female to 100k |
Next year we plan to hold the 8th annual Raven Rocks Run 10k Trail Race at 9 a.m. on Sunday, November 12, 2023. We will also bring back the Raven 100k Challenge as well for a 4th year. Anyone who signs up for both events at the same time will get a break on the dual registration. There also will be a super early (bird) raven discount when registration opens in early 2023.
Thanks again for being a part of this event!
*the Full Flock badge (10x on the course) supersedes the Ultra Raven badge (5x on the course) which supersedes the Raven Badge (1x on the course).
Check ravenrocksrun.org/photos for links to pictures (from this year and past years)of the Raven 100k Challenge and the Raven Rocks Run.
Get your badge submissions in by this weekend — and your distances in BY 12/4!
Let us know if you are having trouble getting anything to us and we will help!
Thanks!
There are 89 raven challenge participants reporting their results to date.
Anyone registered who reaches 100k or higher walking, hiking, or running in November gets a custom Raven Challenge Woodallion suitable for display — and even suitable to hang on holiday decorations!
FINAL TALLY is below as of 12/5/22 with the badge claims and distances reported.
If you need the link to claim your badges, click here. If you have new badges to claim, you can submit the form as many times as needed and we will “superscore” your badge claims (i.e. once you claim a badge you don’t need to claim it again on a subsequent form submission).
Let us know if you have any questions… See you on the trails!
We have posted photos from our fantastic team of volunteer photographers here: https://leathermansloop.smugmug.com/Raven-Rocks-Run/2022
Thanks to photographers Carol Gordon, Tom Casper, Sawyer Cummings, Gene Leeds, and Rob Cummings.
We also had a GoPro set up capturing the finish line (to be posted). Once it is up. check to see your form as you got to your 10.3rd Kilometer…
There’s plenty of room for more photos if you want to share yours at our runner upload gallery here:
[These were the prepared remarks for the pre-race announcements for 2022. It was a bit on the cold and rainy side so I shortened them up. Here for your enjoyment are the complete thoughts of your race director on the morning of the Raven Rocks Run 2022 😉 …]
Thank you for coming to the 7th annual Raven Rocks Run! Before we get going onto the course, I wanted to say hello – I am your race director Rob Cummings. I have a few items to cover briefly.
Happy Birthday to Christina Stejskalova (33) from San Francisco?!
104 of you joined (or renewed) Friends of Trailside Museum as members – over $9,000 raised. You can still sign up through at the race website’s Trailside Museum link.
LAYERS. If you have layers on now and you get to the campground (about 1 mile in) and you want to leave your outer layer, we will have volunteers collecting them in bins and returning them to the finish area for you to pick up at the end of your race.
THE COURSE. The course carries hazards. The leaves can be slick in spots and the rain in the last few days has left some wet spots on the trail and a few “water crossings” and “mud flats” features for your enjoyment.
We did some course “grooming” over the past two weeks. But Tropical Storm Nicole had other ideas. Rocks, leaves, and other hazards are always a natural part of the trail. Take care and take those rocky downhills slowly. The uphills you can go fast on.
Course markings are pink flags, pink ribbon, and one spot with yellow caution tape (that’s the RAVEN ROCKS OVERLOOK) to keep you going on the right trail. Pre-run by Joe, Lee, Peeter, Jeff, Veronica, and many others. I am quite sure they scared the coyotes and bears away.
SWEEPS. Sweeps will be following along behind the runners. If you can’t continue, stay on the course and the sweeps will catch up to you and send for help if you need it. They have cell phones, sweep maps, and LVAC contact info.
After runners finish we will have awards near the tent. Please stick around — you may go home with a prize!
THANK YOUS…. I am able to select who gets bib #1 each year. Here are the PAST BIB #1s… and the 2022 Bib #1!
THE Trail Mix race directors: Lee, Veronica, Eric, David, Brant, Megan, and Nancy. (many races in the series are represented here?). Each year it keeps getting better — I will update the Trail Mix website with the 2022 results. If you don’t know what the Trail Mix Series is, check out trailmixseries.org.
Youngest Registered Runners:
Oldest Registered Runners:
Final Thank Yous and acknowledgements:
OK, now for the start! (…. is the timer ready? all right!)
—Ready, Set, Go! ………. And they’re off!
We have posted the 2022 results here: https://ravenrocksrun.org/results/2022-results/.
Thanks runners for making this a great day and thanks to our volunteers for pitching in and making it happen.
We are working on a recap of the day and have started to get photos and video organized and uploaded. Check back at this page later on for the recap link — and refresh the 2022 photos link to see more as we upload.
Our photographers do a great job! Today Carol, Gene, Tom, Sawyer, Orion, and Rob took photos and video — plus thanks to all of the runners who will be submitting photos – thank you in advance! (hint: upload yours to this album!)
YES there will be same day registration – opens 7:15am
Update: ALL Results • 2022 Results
One tip for this year’s race: Bring another pair of shoes. The grass around the registration tent is a bit soggy. You may want a dry pair of shoes (and socks!) to drive home in!
And if you haven’t yet joined the
Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation,
you can do it now by clicking here:
The Raven Rocks Run is set to go tomorrow at 9am. See our Logistics Note for advice on getting to the park and getting oriented once you arrive.
Race organizers will be at the park and on the trails today doing the final prep work and fine tuning the course for our Sunday morning start.
RegisterThere is Last Minute Online Registration available until this evening if you are deciding late to run – sign up now and make tomorrow morning easier for yourself!
THERE WILL BE SAME DAY REGISTRATION AT THE PARK TOMORROW! If you haven’t signed up yet but want to run – come early. Day of race registration opens at 7:15am.
Note: if you are running tomorrow and want to have an extra layer for the start but then want to peel it off (after that first big hill when you are warmed up!), we will have volunteers at Michigan Road (1 mile into the course, up the first big hill) who can collect your outer layers in a bin and will return them to the finish line area near the tent and fire put for you to pick up after you finish.
The course is the same as 2021 — barring any downed trees from overnight wind storms! It is already “lightly marked” and the full and final marking will take place today.
There is a water stop at the 4 mile mark at the top of the Fire Tower climb (the highest spot on the course).
See you on the trails!
–Rob
The seventh annual Raven Rocks Run is set to go at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation on Sunday, November 13th, 2022.
(The Raven 100k November Challenge is already underway! More info.)
Race director Rob Cummings, his lovely wife Ciorsdan along with many dedicated volunteers have been working hard to set up this year’s event.
IMPORTANT: There is a cap on Raven Rocks 10k Run registrations for 2022 – if we hit the cap there won’t be same day signup. Plan accordingly!
Registration link is here if you have any more folks to sign up (or you want to pass this on to a friend!): https://runsignup.com/RavenRocks
Not sure if you registered or want to check if a friend is registered? Click here:
https://runsignup.com/Race/RegistrationLookup/?raceId=25402
Here are some tips that will help you on race morning:
1.) ARRIVE EARLY! The race is set to start at 9am. Bib pickup (and shirt pickup if ordered) begins at 7am on race morning. Look for the tent in the Meadow Parking lot. Please plan to arrive at the park by 8:15am — or even earlier if you can swing it.
The regular $10 park entry fee is already incorporated as part of the Raven Rocks entry fee so there is no need to stop and pay at the entry booth. Park employees will direct you on parking as you arrive.
If the main meadow lot should fill up, we may need to use our backup lot near the entrance to the park. This would mean about 1/4 mile walk for runners arriving late. Another good reason to be early!
2.) DRIVE SLOWLY in the Park! Pay close attention to the staff and volunteers who are directing the parking. Car pool if you can – this helps the environment – and it makes the race more fun! For a helpful overview of the race location (parking, start, bib pickup), check the logistics page of the website here.
3.) LISTEN ATTENTIVELY TO PRE-RACE ANNOUNCEMENTS! Your Race Director will have important information about the course and safety. You will be instructed about potential hazards on the course and current course conditions.
4.) LISTEN FOR THE START! Following the instructions, we will start the runners.
5.) STAY ON COURSE IF YOU CAN’T CONTINUE! There will be a number of “sweeps” running the course following the slower runners. If for any reason you can’t continue, wait for them to get to you to assess your needs. The park is over 4,300 acres so don’t leave the course unless you know exactly where you are going.
6.) ALL DOGS MUST BE LEASHED! If your dog is running Raven Rocks they MUST START NEAR THE BACK with their humans and wait until the start line clears! For the safety of you, your dog, and the other runners, you must hold back at the start. Please be certain that your dog or its leash does not interfere with or impede any of the other runners. The county park law requires dogs be leashed at all times while in the park. This is for the safety of your dogs, other park patrons, and other dogs visiting.
7.) SAME DAY REGISTRATION – If we hit the cap before next weekend, we will not have this available. Online registration is open! 😉 If you or a friend are looking to run the race, sign up ASAP before we reach the cap!
8.) RESULTS: Printed lists of finishers with time and place will be available soon after the finish at the registration area and online later in the afternoon on the Raven Rocks Run website. Check it out at http://www.ravenrocksrun.org/results.
9.) THANK A VOLUNTEER! A tremendous amount of volunteer effort goes into making Raven Rocks a special event. T-shirt designers, registration volunteers, pie buyers, course setters, trail wardens, box lifters, water servers, bagel cutters, coffee brewers, parking coordinators, photographers, videographers, course sweeps, and the clean-up crew—not to mention the Pound Ridge, Lewisboro, and Westchester County Police officers and the dedicated members of the Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps!
If you want to volunteer, please reach out to us at ravenrocksrun@gmail.com. Thank you!
We are grateful that we have such a wonderful group of trail running enthusiasts (YOU!) to share this run with. We are also thankful that we have the thousands of acres of parkland at the Rez to enjoy!
Many runners have become members of the Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation group during registration – We thank you for joining! This group, which many of you are now members of, is one of the oldest “Friends” groups in the country and it is powered solely by memberships and volunteers.
Remember, leave only footprints, take only pictures, and please send us your photos via upload!
Expect more news shared on Facebook, Twitter, via email, and our website as the event nears…. See you at the race!
Good luck and have fun,
….Rob, Ciorsdan, and the rest of the Raven Rocks Run Volunteers!
• Map and Directions to the Reservation
• Map of the Raven Rocks Run course
• Follow Raven Rocks on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ravenrocksrun
• Follow Raven Rocks on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ravenrocksrun
• Searchable list of registered runners
• Run on the trails on Sundays all year round!
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Raven Rocks Run is the last race in a series of trail races called The Trail Mix. The Trail Mix will resume in 2023!
